12th Annual BookFinder.com Report

Out-of-print and in demand

Welcome to the 12th annual BookFinder.com Report, in which we publish a list of the top 100 most searched for out-of-print book titles from the previous year. The out-of-print books people wanted in 2014 had some similarities to the previous year but the biggest surprise might be that people are less interested in Sex… by Madonna. After a lengthy run at the top of the charts the Queen of Pop's explicit photographic romp was superseded by not one but two books.

American readers now seem to have a keen interest in the ineptitude of British military leaders with 'On the Psychology of Military Incompetence' by Norman F Dixon leading the list. The book dives into combat futility by using a fascinating series of examples of utter ineptitude throughout the 100 years prior to the book’s writing from the Crimean War to the Boer War and the disastrous ‘Market Garden’ operation of WWII. Dixon analyzes poor decision-making (or sometimes the lack of decision-making at all) from a psychological point of view.

Dixon cites examples where military leaders failed to adapt to technological change, rejected useful information which conflicted with their pre-conceptions, wanted to consistently find scapegoats (who were usually dead), regularly suppressed news about setbacks, charged into conflict without reconnaissance and generally perpetuated the class system by refusing to show any empathy towards the plight of the ‘lower’ ranks. He also works to explain how officers of dubious skill made their way up the ranks by virtue of class and social connections. It’s a fascinating read, and if it didn’t involve so many tragic events for common soldiers it might almost be comical in parts. Clearly, the book has great relevance for today’s military leaders in helping to prevent the repeat of past mistakes.

This year’s runner up shows once and for all that the best way to keep one’s mind clean and pure is to stand waist deep in a cold river. The Lovely Reed: An Enthusiast's Guide to Building Bamboo Fly Rods by Jack Howell was last seen on the BookFinder.com Report in 2012. The book is very highly regarded among fly fishers, not only for the quantity of information available but moreover for the way in which it is presented. I am admittedly not a fly fishing expert but every review I read of this book suggests that if you were to only have one book on the subject, this is the one. A good how-to manual never ages; and by all accounts this is a classic.

As always there are many other interesting volumes within the ranks of the list but self-exploration is always more rewarding so without further ado we reveal the 100 most sought after out-of-print books of 2014.

This unique and penetrating book surveys 100 years of military inefficiency from the Crimean War, through the Boer conflict, to the disasterous campaigns of the First World War and the calamities of the Second. It examines the social psychology of military organizations, provides case studies of individual commanders and identifies an alarming pattern in the causes of military disaster.

A lively, conversational, step-by-step book on how to build one's own bamboo fly rod. Comprehensive chapters cover the best bamboo for fly rods, treating and caring for bamboo cane prior to construction, essential tools and materials, preparation, rod design, care for the rod, and selecting a reel seat. Step-by-step photos and illustrations complement the book's accessible approach to a complex craft. This book refinds itself on our most sought after list for the first time since 2011.

Madonna Sex (first published in 1992) was the highly controversial erotic photography book which features the queen of pop along with other early 1990s notables including rappers Vanilla Ice & Big Daddy Kane as well as model Naomi Campbell. The book itself is spiral bound and actually quite fragile making fine copies relatively rare; copies still found in their Mylar wrapping sheet command an extra premium. The book went beyond basic erotica of the day, with several shoots pushing various social taboos, and earned Madonna the moniker “Queen of the Obscene.” After the books initial, albeit large, print run Sex has never since been reproduced as Madonna has very typically moved on from this phase of her career. As such one can assume that Sex will probably remain out of print indefinitely.

Rage (originally titled Getting It On) is the first novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1977. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books. When King decided to let Rage fall out of print in the United States, it was available only as part of The Bachman Books. The other novels that appeared in that compilation (The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man) are now published as separate books in the USA.

Chase (1888-1985) was an Economics graduate from MIT, and this was one of his many publications on the topic of socalism and Economics. The revival in interest in the book came after it was linked, by Glenn Beck, to a Barack Obama 2012 campaign video called "The Road We've Traveled". Beck made several links between Obama's presidential goals and the thems in Chase's book: strong centralized government, Control of banking, credit and security exchanges, Underwriting of food, housing and medical care by the government, and Use of deficit spending to finance underwritings among others. Another interesting literary tie in about the author was that early in his career he took a job with the Food Administration of the FTC with his fellow MIT classmates Walter Lippman, John Reed and T.S. Eliot. One of the cases Chase investigated at this post was corruption of the meatpacking industry with none other than Upton Sinclair.

First published in 1991 this is Richard Gale's critical response to the plethora of defences of theism published in the 1980s. While this book out of print, currently it is also available as a print on demand edition.

Long touted as the definitive "Bible" of Colt Model 1911 handguns, this must-have book covers the years from 1911 to the end of Model 1911 production in 1945. The book features 146 pages profusely illustrated with detailed photos, drawings and descriptions that instruct you in identifying proper parts and accessories for each manufacturer and model.